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Proper Names	Mirzam, Murzim
Bayer Designation	Beta Canis Majoris
Flamsteed Number	2 Canis Majoris
HR (BSC)	2294
HD	44743
Constellation	Canis Major
Right Ascension	6h 22m 42s
Declination	-17° 57' 21"
Distance	493 light years 151 parsecs
Magnitude	Apparent: -1.4 Absolute: +1.5
Spectral Class	B1II Blue Bright Giant
Optimum Visibility	January
Notes	Mirzam is a pulsating variable of the Beta Cephei type (indeed, an alternative name for that type is 'Beta Canis Majoris variable', from this star. It exhibits multiple layers of radial and non-radial pulsations, shifting in brightness by about 10% over a period of some six hours.

A blue star in the western regions of Canis Major, the Great Dog, and the prototype for the Beta Canis Majoris class of variable stars. Its Arabic name means 'the herald', since it rises about twenty minutes before its rather more brilliant neighbour, Sirius.

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